Chemical Weapons Documentary Premieres at EKU

Workers inspect chemical weapons at the Blue Grass Army Depot to ensure the safety of the workers, environment and community. (Photo from U.S. Army Chemical Materials Activity)

After returning from the Vietnam War, Craig Williams looked forward to some normalcy.

But in 1984, when he discovered that the Department of Defense planned to incinerate chemical agents stored at the Blue Grass Army Depot near his Madison County home, Williams began the fight of his life.

On Friday, Oct. 2, the EKU-ENV Environmental Sustainability and Stewardship Program will host the premiere of the documentary “Nerve: How a Small Kentucky Town Led the Fight to Safely Dismantle the World’s Chemical Weapons.” The film tells the story of the global movement for safer weapons disposal that began with a grassroots campaign led by Williams and the Chemical Weapons Working Group. The event, free and open to the public, begins at 7 p.m. in the EKU Center for the Arts and will also feature a special musical performance by Ben Sollee and a social justice panel discussion.

The film, directed by award-winning Kentucky filmmaker Ben Evans, also celebrates the 25th anniversary of the Kentucky Environmental Foundation, which raised money for the documentary through a grassroots fundraising effort. To learn more about the documentary and view a trailer, visit www.kyenvironmentalfoundation.org/nerve-the-film.html.

The chemical weapons in Madison County will be the last in the U.S. to be destroyed. The destruction is scheduled to begin in 2020 and end in 2023.

Lexington native Sollee is a cellist, singer-songwriter and composer known for his political activism. His music blends elements of folk, bluegrass, jazz and rhythm and blues.